MBExC Lecture

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july, 2022

202211jul12:30 PM1:30 PMMBExC LectureCa2+ channel complexes in cochlear inner hair cells and further up the auditory pathway12:30 PM - 1:30 PM MPI-NAT, Faßberg-Campus, Am Faßberg 11Speaker:Prof. Dr. Jutta Engel, Saarland University

Event Details

Prof. Dr. Jutta Engel from the Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM) at the Saarland University will talk about “Ca2+ channel complexes in cochlear inner hair cells und further up the auditory pathway”.

Abstract
Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCC) are essential for chemical signal transmission in sensory cells and in neurons. In inner hair cells (IHC), sound-evoked receptor potentials open Cav1.3 Ca2+ channels that cause Ca2+ influx and exocytosis. However, VGCCs are not only crucial for synaptic transmission but also for developmental processes and for synaptic plasticity. Ten genes of pore-forming α1 subunits as well as 4 genes of auxiliary β- and α2δ subunits lead to a large functional variety of channel complexes.
I will focus on the composition and functions of IHC Cav1.3 channel complexes in development, in mature function and in the maintenance of the mature IHC phenotype. Further, I will report on the role of auxiliary α2δ3 subunits of high voltage-activated Cav2.1 VGGCs for the ultrafast and precise synaptic transmission in spiral ganglion neurons, the auditory brainstem, and midbrain. α2δ3 is encoded by Cacna2d3, which has been identified as risk gene for autism spectrum disorders in humans. Mice lacking Cacna2d3, which show impaired processing of amplitude-modulated tones at the level of the inferior colliculus and in behavior, present a model for an auditory processing disorder.

Host: Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser

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